Be Careful What You Wish For
by Live and Let Die
Summary: **WIP** It's been one year since Spike died. Buffy's been okay up until now, and remembering the past doesn't help her any. A surprise changes everything, and turns Buffy's world upside down. I'm begging you guys for some feedback! I have cookies!
1. Reflecting

Title: Be Careful What You Wish For  
  
Author: Buffys Angel  
  
Rating: PG-13 to R  
  
Summary: It's been one year since Spike died. Buffy's been okay, up until now, and reflecting on the past hasn't helped. A surprise changes everything, and Buffy's not sure whether to rejoice or...anything.  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot of the story and my imagination. All characters and Buffy the Vampire Slayer series belong to the Great Joss Whedon, the UPN network, the WB network, 20th Century Fox, Mutant Enemy, and all those other famous guys that own it.  
  
Distribution: Ask me really really nice!  
  
Feedback: Yes please. BuffysAngel315@aol.com  
  
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Ch. 1 Reflecting  
  
Lyrics by Journey "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)"  
  
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"So do you think anyone will find out?" Buffy snuggled closer into her lover's cold arms, her fingers tracing lazy little patterns on his black T- shirted chest. His hand ran through her hair soothingly.  
  
"Don't know luv," Spike sighed. "It's only a matter of time until they discover it. You can't keep it covered, or much less hidden for long. If they don't see it before someone...or something else does.." he trailed off.  
  
"You're right. I should tell them.." Buffy sat up, sweeping her hair over her shoulders and reaching down to pull on her shoes.  
  
"Just.don't tell them..about it being mine.you don't know what they might do.." Spike pleaded, then chuckled, "They might try to burn me alive or something.."  
  
Buffy looked up into his icy-blue eyes. "That's not funny."  
  
He leered at her coldly as the amulet glowed brightly around his neck. "I didn't say it was."  
  
"Spike, take it off."  
  
"You told me you loved me. Did you mean it? Or did you just say that to make me feel better, knowing it wouldn't mean anything after I'd die?"  
  
"Spike--" Buffy started. His eyes glowed yellow as the demon within shown through. He stood up, making his way over to her.  
  
"Did you like it, Buffy? Did you like knowing that he would have to DIE to save the world? Did you want him gone? Is that why you chose him?" Spike grabbed her by the arms, looking her in the eyes as he started to sizzle. "Were you happy?"  
  
"YOU made the choice.." Buffy spat through gritted teeth, tears of frustration falling from her eyes. "You knew!"  
  
He sighed, his flesh burning. "Does it make you feel any better, Buffy? Are you happy now?" The question went unanswered as he crumbled to dust at her feet.  
  
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"SPIKE!" Buffy sat up, screaming his name as she tore awake from her dream. Her eyes frantically searched her surroundings as she reached over for him, only to discover the cold space once again. Sighing, she ran her hands through her hair shakily, glanced at the digital clock on her nightstand, and got up to get dressed.  
  
Daylight poured into the three-roomed apartment Buffy, Dawn, Willow, and Kennedy had rented on the outskirts of Cleveland 10 months ago. Giles had suggested they trek there, Cleveland being on top of a Hellmouth and all.  
  
Poor Giles, she thought. No matter how many super-baddies he doesn't like dealing with, he just can't pull himself away.  
  
Buffy padded into the kitchen, heading for the fridge and reading the note Dawn had left, saying Willow took her and Kennedy out for breakfast and they'd be over at Giles' for the remainder of the day. Peering into the fridge, Buffy noted they were running low on milk, and made a mental note to buy some later.  
  
After grabbing a bagel with some cream cheese, she headed into the main room with her breakfast, flicked on the radio, and sunk herself into the sofa.  
  
"Stupid commercials," she mumbled as some nasally-voiced bimbo droned about the wonders of Metabolife. "Why do they call them 'music channels' if they play commercials 90 percent of the time?"  
  
As if reading her mind, the commercial stopped abruptly, and an old song began to play. Buffy's eyes widened as she recognized it.  
  
*Here we stand worlds apart. Hearts broken in two*  
  
*Sleepless nights. Losing ground, I'm reaching for you.*  
  
Buffy's free hand slowly rose to cover her mouth as her eyes welled with unfailing tears. This was the last song she had listened to before they had gone to the school to stop the Uber-vamp's and whatnot. It was the last song she heard before he died.  
  
*Feeling that it's gone can change your mind.  
  
If we can't go on to survive the tide love divides.*  
  
*Someday, love will find you; break those chains that bind you.  
  
One night will remind you how we touched and went our separate ways.*  
  
The night before they had attacked had been bliss for her, and for Spike. Just laying in his arms again was all she needed. It was the second time they proved they could be alone together without sparring with words, jumping each other's bones, or just hurting each other. That's when she knew. She couldn't fight it and deny it anymore. She didn't want to.  
  
*If he ever hurts you, true love won't desert you.  
  
You know I still love you, though we touched and went our separate ways.*  
  
*Troubled times, caught between confusion and pain.*  
  
Buffy knew what the amulet would do. Angel had said it, but then again he didn't. He said it was for a champion. Someone more than human, but with a soul. This would give him his redemption. Spike was a champion. Even without his soul he hadn't killed. Of course, Buffy knew if he had never gotten the chip, and fallen in love with her, things would've been different. But she didn't know for sure. She could never be sure.  
  
*Distant eyes, promises we made were in vain.*  
  
*If you must go, I wish you love.  
  
You'll never walk alone, take care my love. Miss you love.*  
  
When she had told him she loved him, she meant it. He could see it in her eyes. She knew he could. She didn't know why he had said what he did. It was too late to ask now. She could just hope that wherever he was, he knew she still thought of him, cared for him, and missed him, especially now.  
  
*Someday love will find you, break those chains that bind you.  
  
One night will remind you how we touched and went our separate ways.*  
  
*If he ever hurts you, true love won't desert you.  
  
You know I still love you, though we touched and went our separate ways*  
  
A few months after everything had happened, Buffy had tried to move on with her life. Dawn, Willow, Xander, even Giles had tried to get her to go out and have fun instead of locking herself away and rummaging through some of his things he had left behind. She knew as well as they did it wouldn't help any. Spike was gone. He had sacrificed himself, so she should just get over it already. Dawn and Willow had managed to bribe her out of her shell and take her to some clubs that were too familiar; they reminded her too much of the Bronze. It just made her cling to the past more. But as much as she wanted to forget and move on, she still felt a painful ache thinking about him.  
  
Unbeknownst to Buffy, the tears that had formed had streaked down her cheeks. She made no move to swipe at them. She just let them fall.  
  
*Someday love will find you, break those chains that bind you.  
  
One night will remind you.*  
  
She had been able to date again. She met Kevin Anderson at the last club the girls had dragged her to in October. He reminded her so much of him; he had the same blue eyes, the same attitude, and amazingly, the same accent. It was weird; she didn't know how she had been able to move on to someone that reminded her so much of what she was trying to move on from. He was almost like Spike, besides the physical features. Maybe that's why she had fallen for him so quickly. But she hadn't really loved him like she loved Spike, or Angel, or Riley for that matter. She didn't know why she didn't love Kevin.  
  
*If he ever hurts you, true love won't desert you.  
  
You know I still love you.*  
  
Maybe it was the reminder of her past just looking into his eyes. Maybe she wasn't ready to fall in love yet. She knew Spike still had her heart, even in death.well, nonmetaphoric death anyway. Maybe he didn't want her to, and it held her back.  
  
*I still love you girl, I really love you girl.*  
  
Whatever the reason, it was why Kevin had left like all the others. He was also like Riley, in the whole 'You won't let me in' kind of way. She had seen it coming weeks before he had left her. She had never told him she loved him, partially because she didn't, and partially because she didn't want to. The night before he had left, they fought. He claimed he was being compared to some dead guy that had a freaky name and was weird. She was tired of him trying to push her to let go, even though she knew she needed to. She wasn't ready. In the middle of the fight, she called him Spike. After they had realized it, he hadn't said a word to her; just packed up his things and left the next morning. She didn't shed a tear.  
  
*And if he ever hurts you, true love won't desert you.*  
  
"God, why does this always have to happen? Why do you always have to pull my strings?" She yelled up at the ceiling, hoping someone out there would hear her. "No more Let's-pull-Buffy's-strings games, okay? Enough already!"  
  
Frustrated, she gritted her teeth, and stood up pacing.  
  
"I wish Spike would just..come back to life..my life would be so much simpler.." Half of her was being sarcastic. The other half was truthful.  
  
What caught her off guard was the low-distant rumble, and the violent shaking of the apartment building. Buffy lost her footing, and fell to the ground, banging her head against the main table in the process.  
  
Over the chaos and the unconsciousness, Buffy didn't hear the loud, booming voice come from the radio.  
  
"Wish Granted."  
  
TBC*~*~ 


	2. Return of the Living Dead

Ch. 2- Return of the Living Dead  
  
A/N:  
  
Okay, due to the fact that I haven't gotten any reviews for my story, I was a little hesitant about putting up another chapter. Then I read a story by Macy, Tracy 16, and Rory 14 titled Lizzie and Gordo: a love story. They had been asking for reviews, and received a review from RainbowPrincess telling them that if they're out for reviews only, they're writing for the wrong reasons. Thank you RainbowPrincess; you also got that in my head. I'm doing this for me, not for anyone else. If you don't like it, don't read it. Okay, on with the story  
  
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It felt like eternity had come and gone before Buffy woke up, but it was only a couple of hours after the earthquake. After several minutes of testing herself for memory loss and finding her mind okay, she opened her eyes. It took some before she was able to focus on a solid object, and the room stopped spinning.  
  
Groaning, Buffy sat up, much to her head's disapproval. A sharp pain pierced her forehead, and she winced. Pressing her fingers against her temple soothingly, she checked for blood, and was relieved that there wasn't a trace on her hand. She looked up, gasping slightly as she took in the sight around her.  
  
"Oh....this can't be good."  
  
The entire main room had been trashed. Pictures hanging on the wall had fallen, books and breakables that were shelved over the fireplace she was lying in front of had fallen, and she shuddered as she realized how close she was to being hit by an old oil lamp lying next to her. She didn't know how this could've happened, but the glass doors leading out to the balcony had been shattered also, possibly by a gust of wind or something.....  
  
'Looks like Xander's got another Buffy-Summers-fix-it job on his hands', she thought, wondering if anyone else was hit by the earthquake, and tracing back her steps before it happened....then she remembered the voice....  
  
The sharp trill of the phone brought her back to reality, and she reached over to grab the wireless off of the coffee table.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Buffy? Buffy? Oh, thank Goddess, we thought something had happened...."  
  
"W-What?" She finally found the strength to stand, and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water on shaky legs.  
  
"Well, other then the massive earthquake that we had..you weren't answering the phone.."  
  
"Will, it's hard to answer it if you're unconscious, you know."  
  
"Oh, Buffy..how did that.I mean..huh?" She could practically see the confused expression etched on Willow's face.  
  
"The earthquake hit, I lost my balance, and my head had a face-to-face meeting with the coffee table in the living room." She rubbed the already- forming bump gently. "I guess someone felt I needed a souvenir."  
  
"Ow?" Willow asked, full of concern.  
  
"Yeah, big ow. You know what? Tell Giles I'm coming over there; I think I might have something researchyish." She had her back to the doorway as she grabbed a quick snack from the fridge.  
  
"Okay. What is it though, do you know?"  
  
"Well, before..it's..I'll tell you when I-"  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
She froze midsentence at the sound of the voice. That voice that she knew so well. 'No.no', her mind screamed at her, begging her not to turn around. 'Oh my God.. It's him...they did it...whoever it was, they did it...they brought him back..'  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
Her eyes widened as she faced him, hazel meeting cerulean blue. She didn't move; she couldn't if she wanted to. She was frozen by those eyes. The phone slipped from her hand, and she made no move to stop it.  
  
In the blink of an eye, Spike had it in his hand, saving it from shattering all over the kitchen floor.  
  
"She'll be there in a minute, Red." He hung up the phone and set it on the counter, slowly approaching her until they were practically touching.  
  
Buffy was still standing there, her eyes studying him. She didn't know where he had come from, but it was obvious he had been naked. He was wrapped in the blanket off of the couch. Wherever he had been, they didn't appreciate clothing. His voice brought her out of her thoughts as he asked her a simple question.  
  
"You want to tell me what I'm doing here, pet?"  
  
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A/N~ Okay, it was short, and for some it might have sucked, but I don't care. I'm getting into it!  
  
R&R. Please. 


	3. Bothered and Confused

Ch. 3- Bothered and Confused  
  
Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews guys! After I read through all my e-mail and the review reminders, I jumped upstairs and started writing again. So here, another chapter. Enjoy.  
  
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It took Willow a couple of minutes for her to figure out there was no one on the other line of the phone before she hung up. A small smile played over her lips as she realized that she hadn't been hearing things when Spike had said something.  
  
'Wow, he's back,' she thought. 'I wonder who did it this time.'  
  
Surprised at her reaction, she immediately replaced the smile with a frown, and turned back to the crowd that had gathered around her.  
  
Xander, Andrew, Giles, Dawn, and Kennedy all waited for whatever was coming. Meeting eyes with Giles, she motioned for him to come outside with her, keeping it obvious that whatever she had to say needed the Watcher's advice and opinion first.  
  
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Back at the apartment:  
  
Buffy just stood there, fully absorbing what was happening. Spike was still standing in front of her, dressed in a blanket, and from the looks of it, it seemed to be slipping..  
  
'NO! No! Bad Buffy! Bad bad Buffy! No more bad thoughts about the bad vampire!.....she closed her eyes, concentrating on getting the manipulating pictures out of her mind, and half hoping that when she opened them, he wouldn't be there.  
  
It didn't work. He was still there.  
  
"Oh my God," she breathed. It really was him. Her eyes were still locked with his, a trance that still hadn't been broken. Her hand slowly came up, resting on his chest. He hadn't really changed since...she saw him last.  
  
Same bleach-blonde hair, same piercing icy-blue eyes, same cold skin..which wasn't as cold as she remembered. She realized that it was...rather warm. Confusion etched on her face, her hand moved over his heart, wondering if she could hear a heartbeat.  
  
Her eyes widened in shock, confusion, joy, and fear.  
  
Spike was alive. Literally.  
  
"What happened to you?"  
  
"Sorry luv, can't answer that question until you answer mine," he replied softly, his voice a little above a whisper.  
  
"Which was?" Obviously she had been so shocked, the question had gone right through her.  
  
"What am I doing here, Buffy?" His voice raised slightly as he repeated himself, mixed emotions making themselves known. "The last thing I remember is watching you here in the living room from the outside, and the next thing I know I'm lying here next to your unconscious self in said living room."  
  
Buffy blinked. He didn't sound angry, but he didn't sound overly excited about being here either. "I..I don't know. I have no idea why you're here, Spike," she replied, a little shocked by his reaction. This was what she had wanted; him back in her life. This was what she wished for..  
  
'The wish..oh stupid Buffy, stupid STUPID Buffy. That's how it happened, I wished it and it came true..duh.'  
  
She rolled her eyes at her ignorance, but suddenly froze as another thought took her.  
  
Breaking the spell that had her stuck where she was standing, she made her way past Spike and headed to her room, Spike following at her heels.  
  
"Buffy...what are you doing?" he asked while she rummaged through her closet, grabbing a box during the middle of her search. She stopped pilling through the closet and continued her attack on the box until she pulled out a pair of black jeans, a black shirt, and a pair of black boots, shoving them at him.  
  
"Get dressed," she commanded, walking briskly out of the room to leave him in private.  
  
"Um..pet.."  
  
She turned around, already having an explanation for his question.  
  
"Look, I've been preparing myself for something like this. People come back from the dead all the time. I'm a living example of it. I know you're probably wondering why I prepared myself for YOU coming back, and as surprising as it is, I know it's because...okay, I don't know why, but I want to figure everything out, so just..please hurry."  
  
"Actually, I was wanting a pair of socks, luv."  
  
Buffy stood in the doorway, rendered speechless and embarrassed.  
  
"Oh...I don't think..I'm not sure I have any..for you, I mean.."  
  
"S'alright, I can manage.." He looked down at the shirt he was holding.  
  
Buffy turned away, preparing to shut the door.  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
She sighed, turning to face him. "Yeah?"  
  
He looked down, looked up at her, and glanced down again before meeting her eyes. "Thanks."  
  
She smiled softly, surprised a little bit. "No problem."  
  
'Note to self: Ask questions before rambling off 'answers', she thought as she turned and headed for the kitchen.  
  
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Hopefully that was good enough to keep you guys occupied until I can finish another chapter. 


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